PML-N, PPP meet on power-sharing

Coordination committee of two parties will discuss implementation of deal

ISLAMABAD:

The coordination committee of the PML-N and the PPP will meet tomorrow (Sunday) to address differences between the two parties and discuss issues related to the implementation of their power-sharing deal.

According to sources, the meeting will be held at the Punjab Governor's House in Lahore. The meeting was originally scheduled for 3pm Friday but was later postponed.

Ishaq Dar, Marriyum Aurangzeb, and Malik Ahmed Khan will represent the PML-N, while Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Hasan Murtaza, and Ali Haider Gilani will represent the PPP.

The meeting will review the implementation of the power-sharing agreement struck by the two parties after the February 8 general elections.

The concerns of the PPP will also be discussed in the meeting. A timeframe for implementing the remaining points of the agreement will also be determined, party sources stated.

The meeting is taking place after a discussion between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday.

According to sources, during the meeting held at the PM House, Bilawal expressed his disappointment over the lack of progress in implementing the agreement and the issues faced by the PPP in Punjab province, where the PML-N is in power.

He said the absence of consultation on key issues was straining their alliance.

The PPP chairman also conveyed his concerns about inflation and issues in the power sector, especially the relief being provided to consumers in one province only—Punjab—while the whole country was feeling the brunt of inflated power bills.

He said the federal government must play a crucial role in dealing with key national issues. The meeting took place against the backdrop of growing friction between the two parties.

"The PPP has expressed its concerns that it is not being consulted or taken into confidence on key issues," PPP spokesperson Shazia Marri told The Express Tribune, saying, "Non-consultation has emerged as a major concern."

Time and again, the PPP leader said, the party has conveyed its concerns, but from the budget to issues in Punjab, the PML-N's response has not been satisfactory.

Marri recalled that the PML-N completely sidelined the PPP during the budget preparation, adding that by doing so, it violated the agreement reached between the two sides post-elections. Additionally, she said, the issues previously agreed upon regarding Punjab have not yet been addressed.